What are the odds the College Football Playoff field is set based on what we saw Saturday? Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan all in the field? Actually, pretty good in this Year of Chalk.
The top four in this week's Power Rankings had no problem winning by a combined 108 points. Half of the field (Alabama, Clemson) has been in the top four all season. Add in the fact all four are at the top of their games, and it's possible any remaining drama has been drained from the season.
For Alabama, the biggest concern after a second consecutive shutout might be Tua Tagovailoa's knee/quad. For Clemson, it's somehow possible the city of Boston can't win everything. The Tigers smothered Boston College to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game. Notre Dame rode a backup quarterback Brandon "Plan B" Wimbush to a 29-point win over Florida State. Ian Book is expected back this week. Michigan handled the Big Ten's version of a bye (Rutgers) by 35 points.
What's to stop any of them? Five times since the CFP debuted in 2014, teams have appeared in the exact order in consecutive weeks. That could/should happen again this week -- Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan. Alabama has only The Citadel before the Iron Bowl. Clemson has both suddenly formidable Duke and South Carolina, both at home. Notre Dame travels to Yankee Stadium for Syracuse this week then finishes at USC. Michigan should coast vs. Indiana before playing for the Big Ten East at Ohio State.
The only opponent with a losing record in that bunch: The Citadel. The only ranked teams: Syracuse and Ohio State. The Crimson Tide have the easiest overall road, while the Wolverines have the toughest, per NCAA stats.
The CFP mantra through four years is always that things will work out. They may have already this year.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The defense has now gone more than nine quarters covering three games without allowing a point, including back-to-back shutouts after a 24-0 skunking of Mississippi State. For the record, the zeroes extend 142 minutes, 17 seconds of playing time. Should we be more concerned about Tua's quad/knee? | -- | 12-2 |
| 2 |  | I was most intrigued by Trevor Lawrence, the runner. Lawrence ran for his first career touchdown and threw for 295 yards at Boston College. The BC defense kept it close, but with only 96 yards in total offense, the Eagles weren't coming close. Clemson clinched its fourth straight ACC Atlantic title. | -- | 9-4 |
| 3 |  | Florida State was beaten the moment the Noles stepped off the bus into 27-degree temperatures. It had been 80 in Tallahassee. ND sets up a dangerous Syracuse game with a 42-13 win. What did you expect? Florida State played its ninth different offensive line combination in 10 games. | -- | 10-3 |
| 4 |  | Call it an efficient evisceration of Rutgers, 42-7. Jim Harbaugh lightened up the postgame when he apparently called Chris Ash by the name "Rob." All that matters is that we know who the Wolverines are these last two weeks. That being the team in the Big Ten. | -- | 15-0 |
| 5 |  | D'Andre Swift continues to act his last name. Georgia's sophomore tailback rushed for a career-best 186 yards in a 17-point win over Auburn. Swift is averaging 9.9 yards per carry in the last three games against Florida, Kentucky and Auburn. | -- | 13-1 |
| 6 |  | Ninety-five points, 1,342 yards and Bedlam basically came down to a missed extra point by Oklahoma State. Kudos to Mike Gundy for going for the win with a two-point conversion try with 73 seconds left. Meanwhile, the style points for the Sooners are drying up. The CFP Selection Committee has watched the Sooners give up 93 points the last two weeks and win by a total of six points. | -- | 10-3 |
| 7 |  | The Cougars gave their best defensive effort of the season, 31-7 over Colorado. The Mississippi Mustache, Gardner Minshew, threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Washington State continues to wait in the green room with Georgia, Oklahoma and West Virginia to enter into the playoff picture if any of the top four should lose. | -- | 5-7 |
| 8 |  | Will Grier threw for at least three touchdowns for the eighth time this season in an obliteration of TCU. Four of the Mountaineers' six touchdown drives took less than 90 seconds. Ready for a season-ending run against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. | -- | 9-4 |
| 9 |  | You would expect a letdown after the Alabama game. You got one. The Tigers had a comfortable 24-3 lead at Arkansas going into the fourth quarter. The defense held the Hogs to 19 rushing yards. New Year's Six bowl still a possibility. | 1 | 10-3 |
| 10 |  | Navy passed twice. Twice! So what did it expect against an explosive UCF? Certainly not a comeback. The Knights got up 21-3 and held on. The AAC East will not go quietly with Temple beating Houston. The Knights became only the third team of the wire service era to score at least 30 in 22 straight games. | 1 | 6-7 |
| 11 |  | An upset was in the air with the Buckeyes facing the No. 1 rushing defense. Instead, Urban Meyer and the boys kept alive the Michigan matchup in two weeks with a workmanlike 26-6 win at Michigan State. Wake me when it's Wolverines Week. | -- | 11-2 |
| 12 |  | The class of the Mountain West (9-1, 6-0) is also the Group of Five team most likely to go to a New Year's Six bowl if UCF falters. The Aggies became only the 17th team in history to gain 800 yards in a wipeout of San Jose State. Five of the program's biggest offensive outputs this century have come this season. | 1 | 6-7 |
| 13 |  | Please don't think the Orange got Bobby Petrino fired. It was coming anyway and does a disservice to what Dino Babers has accomplished. The 54-23 win over the Cardinals marked the 17th time in seven seasons as a coach that Babers' teams have put up at least 50. Notre Dame is next. | 2 | 6-7 |
| 14 |  | What's the opposite of having your heart ripped out by West Virginia? Ripping Texas Tech's heart out in Lubbock. Sam Ehlinger hit Lil'Jordan Humphrey with 21 seconds left to beat the Red Raiders, 41-34. | 3 | 12-2 |
| 15 |  | Don't ask me to explain the Gators. Blown out (in the second half) by Georgia, no-show for Missouri, then rally from 17 down against South Carolina. Feleipe Franks was both booed and cheered by the fickle Swamp. | 3 | 5-7 |
| 16 |  | Bye. The Huskies, 7-3, can still win the Pac-12 South, beat Washington State and knock the Pac-12 out of the playoff. Washington has by far the conference's best scoring defense. | 3 | 14-1 |
| 17 |  | Bearcats took out South FLorida to set up a showdown with UCF next week. Tailback Michael Warren II accounted for four touchdowns in a 35-23 win. If you're thinking about a replacement for Meyer in the near future, might I suggest Luke Fickell? | 4 | 3-9 |
| 18 |  | The Cyclones got bowl eligible and stayed a game out of first in the Big 12. As it stands, the Clones best back, David Montgomery, will be suspended for the first half of the Texas game after throwing a punch at a Baylor player. | 7 | 7-6 |
| 19 |  | After rebounding late to beat Oregon, the Utes inched closer to the Pac-12 South title -- win at Colorado next week and have Arizona lose one of its last two. Backup Jason Shelley threw for 262 yards. | 4 | 8-5 |
| 20 |  | Post-Georgia letdown or maybe Tennessee is just waking up. The Wildcats smudged their 7-1 start with a second consecutive loss. Benny Snell held to 81 yards. | 8 | 7-6 |
| 21 |  | The Blazers continue to write a book. It's the one where a program comes back from the dead and in its second season back goes 9-1 and plays for the conference title. That's going to happen after an overtime win over Southern Miss. | 1 | 4-8 |
| 22 |  | An unlikely rally against Fresno kept alive the Broncos' Mountain Division hopes. Brett Rypien became the Mountain West's all-time passing leader as Boise State beat a ranked team for the first in November in its history. | NR | 8-6 |
| 23 |  | It's about time the Black Knights show up in the Power Rankings. They've won six a row, sit No. 2 nationally in rushing and are headed to three straight bowls for the first time in history. | NR | 6-6 |
| 24 |  | Bulldog faithful are still squawking about a spot that appeared to show the defense had stopped Boise on third-and-one. The Broncos were awarded a first down and ran out the clock in a 24-17 victory. Fresno State blew a two-touchdown lead. | 10 | 9-4 |
| 25 |  | Starting quarterback Anthony Brown was knocked out early by Clemson. Things went downhill from there. The Eagles' only score came on a punt return. They were held to a paltry 96 total yards. | 9 | 7-6 |
Dropped out: Michigan State, Mississippi State
